master planning

A successful Master Plan requires the ability to simultaneously create small-scale spaces and a large-scale framework. An understanding of how the dynamics of the landscape itself and how the shifting needs of a city will shape its built environment over time is critical. A comprehensive process of analysis and long-range planning results in a cohesive and flexible set of detailed guidelines that considers a community’s population, economy, housing, transportation, facilities, and land use, as well as the physical attributes of the landscape and its ecological processes.

Bender Wells Clark Design has shaped some of San Antonio’s most innovative and iconic places. Elegant and unique college campuses and planned communities integrate built structures and ecological systems in a way that guides and sustains future growth and development. Large-scale regional parks and other major public spaces are developed over the span of decades and require an understanding of how the growth and needs of an entire city change over time.

site planning

Successful site planning depends on careful assessment of a potential project site. Slope, soils, hydrology, vegetation, orientation, infrastructure and many other factors determine which areas are most adaptable and best suited to which types of activities. Without an understanding of how these elements can either work together or against one another, the effectiveness and efficiency of a project is greatly affected.

Bender Wells Clark Design has the geologic, structural, and ecologic knowledge and experience to expertly assess the wide variety of elements that affect the landscape. Recreational parks and facilities require siting many different, and often overlapping, types of activities. While slope and hydrological functions may drive the design for certain projects, others may demand greater attention to vegetation or capitalizing on unique views across the landscape. Every factor is evaluated, weighed, and woven into the complex system of an effective site plan.

planning studies

Bender Wells Clark Design conducts major planning and transportation studies essential for helping city planners and decision-makers in determining feasible options for changing or improving the city's infrastructure. BWCDesign has been involved with teams charged with the assessment of overall conditions and operations of vehicular, transit, pedestrian, bicycle, and goods movements throughout the San Antonio region.

When a Public Input process is involved, graphic presentations depicting what future transportation alternatives might look like help the public to understand various options and the impacts each would entail. Working with digital photos and imaging software to develop 'preference tests' helps participants compare existing conditions to proposed scenarios with transit shelters and stops, bikeways, pedestrian amenities, and new transportation options. This ultimately leads to a set of ranked mobility options for city planners to consider that directly address the public's concerns.